Pardon my optimism in the opening. But how many more opportunities will I let pass because I am still holding on to security — my job.
I live with regret year after year for not doing anything. The world changes fast, and with unexpected events and more uncertainty, there is never a sense of security anymore.
Millions and millions of job losses happened this year alone due to the COVID pandemic. Jobs that we once recognize and were so comfortable, are susceptible to changes.
How bad things may be, there is always a silver lining. A fresh opportunity in the job economy to those who seize and rise to the challenge.
So it is really important to invest in nurturing your own skills and start connecting the dots of all the opportunities which are present. Building this foundation prepares you for the future ones coming up.
Why Medium?
Medium continues to evolve, and from a platform standpoint, I think we have yet to see the full potential in the space of writing or blogging.
There are so many ways to earn an income from the internet: drop shipping, Youtube creator, Instagram influencer, etc. So I thought to myself, without much to start with, which skill and platform would give me the greatest chance of success.
Writing looks simple enough to start and there is a lot of potentials to expand beyond just writing. Sure there are other opportunities out there, like Youtube but that involves video editing skills, reasonable hardware, good storytelling, etc.
And why not start a blog or create a Wordpress site? All those require effort in getting the setup right, which takes the focus away from the core which is writing.
And with the Medium Partnership Program, setting up a story to be paid cannot get any simpler than that.
Get Insights and Inspiration from Medium Experts
Medium has been a while for several years and continues to do so. With that we have well-established names and some my favorite writers:
And unlike new platform which requires figuring out, there are Medium Writers who are transparent, sharing their earnings, and can save you a lot of time before spending your precious time on this platform.
The sweet spot is the area where you gain the maximum benefit using the least effort. I recommend checking out some of the earning review videos to get a feel of how much you might earn. And also do the same for other platforms of your choice.
So how much can we actually earn from this platform?
- Zulie Rane — Medium Income Reveal — (live) Sept 2020 | How much money I made from writing on Medium in Sept 2020 — YouTube
- Shelby Church — I made $6,000 from my Medium.com article… an update — YouTube (Although this might be a one-off, still inspiring to see)
When done right and properly, I would add Medium as one of my internet income channels.
Making the Decision and Putting Plan to Action
If you have decided to invest your time and effort in Medium, now it is really key to put your plan to action.
This means breaking down the goal of writing into smaller manageable tasks:
- Determine your expertise
- Finding a topic or niche
- Researching topics
- Get down to writing!
Timebox each of those activities and make sure to complete them. Timebox is a project planning technique that I really love to apply to tasks. In the beginning, aim to get the tasks done without worrying too much about perfection.
But after that, editing the work, which takes up the most time of all, becomes really important to make normal writing into writing that stands out from the crowd.
Building Good Habits and Sticking to It
Follow it through by forming habits that stick. A book I really like about this is Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones.
Get some inspiration on building your own habit tracker checklist or go with a simple pen a paper list. Most of the habit gurus recommend the checklist system and there are tons and tons of formats you can find.
Initially you might feel like an impostor but the point is to keep doing until you find your voice and style.
Final thoughts
What if this all fails. Imagine you have now put in 1 year of effort to writing, and you are not seeing the results expected. What is the worst that could happen?
- You would have learned how to Stick to Habits and building a solid routine
- All the writing would have do you good by helping you to think clearer and better.
- All the research would have turned you into an expert in the subject.
- You might pivot to a different platform with all the experience gained.
All of which you can carry to your next idea, job, or creation.
So what if it doesn’t work out. At the end of the day, writing just like anything else is hard work. The point is that you tried. One year from now you would not have sat down and let normally pass by, thinking what if I ACTUALLY did this then?
If you have reached the end of this article, follow me and let me know if you enjoyed reading this by commenting on what you like and not like.
Happy to hear and take in your feedback in the next writing, thanks!
